Former Rothesay church beyond help, says councillor

Craig Borland

The cost of making a former Rothesay church building safe from collapse would be “astronomical”, according to one Bute councillor.

Robert Macintyre spoke to The Buteman after a meeting of local councillors was told how much it would cost to save the old West Church building in Argyle Street.

The detail of the cost involved is being kept secret after Argyll and Bute Council’s Bute and Cowal area committee decided to exclude the press and public from consideration of the subject at a meeting on Tuesday.

“The cost to make it safe would be astronomical,” Cllr Macintyre, who chairs the committee, told The Buteman.

“In my opinion it has passed the point of no return.”

The building - which was last used as a church in the late 1970s, and has not been used at all for more than 30 years - has been fenced off on safety grounds since November 2013.

Plans for its demolition were put on hold by the council in 2014 after a community group expressed an interest in converting the property.